Motorcycle Lift

[allanp]

I have a 1994 Coachmen 38' Destiny diesel pusher and want to take my '05 Ultra Classic (some 800 lbs) AND a compact car with me. The 2" hitch is rated for 2,000 lb tongue and 20,000 lb towing. What's available to take both and what are your experiences?

[wolfe10]

Your first job if you are considering carrying a bike on a lift is to weight your axles, with the rear axle weight being the critical one. Putting all that additional weight 10' or so behind the rear axle will add well more than the actual weight to the rear axle and subtract weight from the front axle. That 10' is quite a leverage arm! Removing weight from the front axle will negatively impact coach handling.

IF, again, IF you have adequate rear axle capacity to add the leveraged weight of the bike plus lift, there are lifts available.

Another option many use is to trailer it in which case you will have to choose between bike and toad.

Brett Wolfe

[plunton]

I had a hydraulic lift om my Country Coach and towed a jeep. It was such a pain in the butt to have to disconnect the tow bar every time we wanted to take the bike; that when we traded the coach, I left the lift on the old coach. If you are just going from one place to another and staying an extended period, then it is not a problem. Anything less than a couple of weeks was a pain.

Additionally, that is a lot of weight hanging out back there. My hitch was originally installed incorrectly and the weight of the bike, Harley FLSTC, eventually ripped, yes ripped, the steel attaching brackets. I was lucky, we saw the problem and limped into Memphis, where we had the whole thing removed and re-installed with stronger brackets.

You can really feel the weight in the back, even with a tag axle.

Wood Sproat

[jeananddaveb@yahoo.com]

I carry my Road King & tow my Chevy HHR behind our 40'TourMaster. Have been doing this for 4 yrs without notice of any handling problems. I use a Hydralift & have been very happy with it. I've seen several different lifts & have yet to see any that I think compare favorably either in construction or ease of use. It is the only one I have seen that sits as high off the road & is hydraulic. Plunton is correct in that you have to drop the towbar before you can lower the lift. This would only be a problem if you wanted to take a ride while in transit between point A & B. Has this ever happened to me? Sure, but outside of towing a trailer large enough to carry both the toad & bike or having someone drive the toad, it seems to be the best solution. I will caution you though. When having a lift installed, be sure that the brackets welded on to the frame do not prevent any future motorhome maintenance such as radiator or charge air cooler replacement. (if they require dropping out from the bottom) Good luck & have fun!

[F84678]

We have had a rampage lift on the 05 country coach air ride no tag and the 03 Dynasty 42 W Tag. Look at the pictures and send me an off line email. Donupdyke@yahoo.com

http://picasaweb.google.com/dupdyke/Rampage?feat=email

[hsteinle]

For my '02 Harley Ultra Classic I've used a Wells Cargo Trailer, A Rampage lift in my pickup, an Overbilt auto lift on the back of the coach, a Toy-Hauler single rail light weight trailer, and a Stinger fold up trailer. I think the BEST unit (for you to at least consider) is the Toy Tote which you can find at http://toy-tote.com/ It is NOT considered a trailer but rather as an 'extension' of your motorhome which allows you to then tow your 'toad' and not be considered as 'triple towing'. The unit can be unhooked and rolled around just like a trailer for storage purposes. The company will custom make the unit to your specs if you want and they are EXTREMELY well built. Check them out.

Harlan

'07 Alfa So Long Gold #4322

Mesa AZ/Durango CO

hsteinle@hbsteinle.com

[ddz1952]

We had the same problem. I thought bringing the Ultra along in an enclosed trailer was the answer. It was until we needed 4 wheels on the ground instead of two. So we decided to pull the Jeep, which was fine until those sunny warm days beckoned and the Harley was at home. Now we have an aluminum car trailer. The bike loads from the side up front, the Jeep loads from the back. It's not a problem to unload one or the other. I can back up now when we get into a tight spot. We haven't had a problem finding a spot to park yet. Anyhow it works for us. Plus I've still got the other two options, enclosed trailer and four down. Couldn't part with them! LOL

DDZ1952

[allnight4@yahoo.com]

I recently ran across these somewhere else:

Tandem Tow

Looks pretty nice. Trying to find them again to list here, I ran across a dealer for them:

Discount Trailers

Mike

[havasu4us]

I recently ran across these somewhere else:

Tandem Tow

Looks pretty nice. Trying to find them again to list here, I ran across a dealer for them:

Discount Trailers

Mike

I would like to do the same, haul a RZR on a trailer, but flat tow my Jeep also. So that when stopped, could unhook the Jeep, sightsee, then move on to another area... I have seen this TOY TOTE TRAILER and have wondered if anyone has any actual use of one of these products. My main concern would be if the hitch from the trailer to the toad is beefy enough to handle the job.

[gyoungbmw]

Try www.mightyhauler.com.

They are in Ohio. It is well built and not overly complicated since it uses a hydraulic jack, not elec. Just be sure to pick the model that allows access to the engine compartment.